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Maheshvara sutras
The Maheshvara sutras form a key part of the Ashtadhyayi by Panini. They are an ordering of the Sanskrit alphabet in terms of certain similarities, and provide a way to name various sub-groups (known as pratyAhArA) within this order that share certain properties. The sutras in the Ashtadhyayi use these names (pratyAhAra) to define the context for each sutra. For e.g., the sutra 6.1.77 defines its preceding and succeeding context in terms of the names 'ik' and 'ach', and defines the replacement as 'yaNN'. These pratyAhAras must be memorized by every serious student of Sanskrit grammar, as they are used throughout the Ashtadhyayi. The final column of the tables below list the 'it' marker of each pratyAhArA.
| # | 'pratyAhAra' | Letters | 'it' |
| 1 | aNN (see an alternate definition below) | a i u | NN |
| 2 | Ruk | Ru lRu | k |
| 3 | eN | e o | N |
| 4 | Ech | E O | ch |
| 5 | haT | h y v r | T |
| 6 | laNN | l | NN |
| 7 | Jam | J m N NN n | m |
| 8 | jhaJ | jh bh | J |
| 9 | gh Dh dh | SH | |
| 10 | jash | j b g D d | sh |
| 11 | khav | kh ph chh Th th ch T t | v |
| 12 | kay | k p | y |
| 13 | shar | sh SH s | r |
| 14 | h | l |
In addition to the above pratyAhAras, the following groupings are referred to frequently in several sutras in the Ashtadhyayi:
| 'pratyAhAra' | Letters | 'it' |
| ik | i u Ru lRu | k |
| ak | a i u Ru lRu | k |
| ach | a i u Ru lRu e o E O | ch |
| ech | e o E O | ch |
| ich | i I u U e o E O | ch |
| yaNN | y v r l | NN |
| aT | a i u Ru lRu e o E O h y v r | T |
| aNN (alt definition used in the {1.1.69} sutra) | a i u Ru lRu e o E O h y v r l | NN |
| am | a i u Ru lRu e O E O h y v r l J m N NN n | m |
| ash | a i u Ru lRu e O E O h y v r l J m N NN n jh bh gh Dh dh j b g D d | sh |
| hash | h y v r l J m N NN n jh bh gh Dh dh j b g D d | sh |
| hal | h y v r l J m N NN n jh bh gh Dh dh j b g D d kh ph chh Th th ch T t k p sh SH s h | l |
| yar | y v r l J m N NN n jh bh gh Dh dh j b g D d kh ph chh Th th ch T t k p sh SH s | r |
| yany | y v r l J m N NN n jh bh | ny |
| jhal | jh bh gh Dh dh j b g D d kh ph chh Th th ch T t k p sh SH s h | l |
| jhay | jh bh gh Dh dh j b g D d kh ph chh Th th ch T t k p | y |
| khar | kh ph chh Th th ch T t k p sh SH s | r |
| chhav | chh Th th ch T t | v |
| char | ch T t k p sh SH s | r |
| jash | j b g D d | sh |
| Nam | N NN n | m |
| iNN | i u Ru lRu e o E O h y v r l | NN |
| at | 'short' a | t |
| At | 'prolated' A | t |
There are a few additional technical terms listed in the following table:
| Technical term | Letters |
| ku | k, kh, g, gh, N |
| chu | ch chh j jh J |
| Tu | T Th D Dh NN |
| tu | t th d dh n |
| pu | p, ph, b, bh, m |
| ru | r |
| hu | h |
| num | augment |
| AN | a preposition |
| anusvAra | 'word-final' M 'word-internal' N |
| anunAsika | J m N NN n |
| visarga | Ha |
| avasAna | punctuation symbol denoting a pause or the end of a verse |
| avagraha | a punctuation symbol (either B or the apostrophe) denoting the elision of the letter 'a' |